In cooperation with:
The final night of the free community dinner program is Friday, May 29th.
To ensure that struggling people still have access to healthy food, 8 food pantries in Door County, along with the Door County Community Foundation and United Way of Door County, have created the new Door County Food Pantry Coalition. You can learn more at www.FeedDoorCounty.org.
Under the leadership of the Boys and Girls Club of Door County, the Door County YMCA, the Door County Fire Chiefs Association, the Door County Medical Center, United Way of Door County, the Door County Community Foundation, and countless other partners, the Door County Meals Cooperative began distributing free dinners in mid-March to anyone in the community who needed a little help during the Safer-at-Home order. Very quickly the program grew to providing about 750 free dinners every day to people of all ages. The dinners were distributed at five pick-up sites in Door County and 1 in Kewaunee County. All dinners were produced in the kitchen of the Boys and Girls Club.
With the end of the school year, the Boys and Girls Club kitchen needed to switch over their facility to providing almost 800 meals a day for the YMCA children’s summer lunch program. As a result, the free community dinners end on Friday, May 29th.
To ensure that struggling people aren’t left behind, the Washington Island Community Health Program, Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church, Sister Bay First Baptist Church, Door of Life, Stella Maris Catholic Church, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Feed and Clothe My People, Lakeshore CAP, and Holy Name Catholic Church, have joined with the Door County Community Foundation and United Way of Door County to create the Door County Food Pantry Coalition. It’s Door County’s coordinated, sustainable response to providing food and other supplies to people who are struggling during the global pandemic and economic recession.
Contributions to the Meals Cooperative that have not already been budgeted or spent will be transferred to the Door County Food Pantry Coalition so that those dollars can continue to feed people of all ages who continue to struggle during the current health crisis.
The Food Pantry Coalition welcomes donations of all kinds but asks the community to first consider making a monetary contribution. Often the pantries can purchase food at a cost far below what a donor would pay for the same item at the grocery store. Monetary gifts also allow the pantries to buy refrigerated and frozen food items that are not easily donated.
Please go to www.FeedDoorCounty.org to make a donation online today, or mail your gift to:
Door County Food Pantry Coalition
Door County Community Foundation
222 N. 3rd Avenue
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
All monetary contributions will be shared by the food pantries based on where the need is greatest in Door County at any given time. For those that still would like to donate food items, please contact the food pantry closest to them.
Any money not needed by the food pantries will be transferred to the Door County Emergency Response Fund to provide other relief and assistance to Door County residents struggling during this crisis.
We will get through this if we hold together as a community!
